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Psalm 80:7-15
Proper 22A
This week the Lectionary is carving out the middle section of Psalm 80 beginning at verse 7 and its call for God to make his face to shine on his people so as to restore them. If we zoom out and look at the entire psalm, then we see that verse 7 is a refrain…
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
Proper 22A
Leaving Out the Hard Bits Reading through the Lectionary selection this week, I had the feeling I get when my pre-schooler, who is playing in the other room, suddenly goes quiet. Immediately suspicious, I want to know what he’s up to. So, similarly, it might be important to investigate the quiet bits, the parts the…
Psalm 25:1-9
Proper 21A
Some years back I was asked to preach at a worship service in a congregation that was celebrating that day the launch of the new church education year as well as the start of the new academic year at a local Christian day school. To tie in with that theme, I eventually found my way…
Exodus 17:1-7
Proper 21A
Leadership Called into Question In recent years, scandals have unmasked and dethroned many charismatic (personality temperament, not denomination) leaders in the church. My brain quickly recalled these stories as I read Moses’ reply to God’s people who are—yet again–complaining about conditions in the wilderness. In verse 2, Moses dresses the people down for questioning him….
Exodus 16:2-15
Proper 20A
Illustration I was recently watching a TV show with my 4-year-old and, at one point, an item begins to ring. The main character picks up the top part, connected to the bottom part with a curly wire and speaks into it. On the main, bottom part, there is a circle with numbers, almost like a…
Psalm 145:1-8
Proper 20A
Recently as I read the first 8 verses of Psalm 145, I found myself oddly enough wondering what is the antecedent for all the “they” references in especially verses 4-7. On the one level it is almost certainly the case that the “they” refers back to the next generation. One generation commends God’s works to…
Psalm 103: (1-7), 8-13
Proper 19A
The first half dozen verses of Psalm 103 are familiar to some of us because a lot of churches use those words as the words of Thanksgiving following a celebration of the Lord’s Supper. At our church, the pastor reads the words and the congregation then echoes them. They are such fitting words following…
Exodus 14:19-31
Proper 19A
Illustration The story of the exodus is a potent motif for shaping the story of oppressed people. In the US context, we know this from the way the story was used in songs written by enslaved people. “Go down Moses and tell old Pharaoh, ‘let my people go.’” Harriet Tubman, who famously led hundreds to…
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